McCrory rallies at The Cedars in Hendersonville

Published: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 3:07 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 3:07 p.m.

Western North Carolina's Republican leadership came out in full force Wednesday to show their support for Pat McCrory in his bid to become the next governor.

More than 150 people — from state legislators to county commissioners to tea party leaders — packed The Cedars in downtown Hendersonville where the former Charlotte mayor held a rally one day after formally announcing his candidacy in Greensboro.

“This is just incredible,” McCrory said of the large crowd. “You've touched my heart,”

The event took place one week after Gov. Beverly Perdue — a Democrat who narrowly defeated McCrory in 2008 — shook up the gubernatorial race by announcing that she wasn't running again.

But while McCrory called that development “one piece of good news,” he said the Democratic Party will find another candidate to try to carry on the “power elite and good-old-boy/good-old-girl system that's been controlling this state far too long.”

State Sen. Tom Apodaca of Hendersonville and former Sen. Fred Smith — who ran against McCrory in the 2008 Republican primary — pledged their support for McCrory. Apodaca called McCrory's arrival “a great day for the state of North Carolina.”

“I'm going to tell you what: We need help in Raleigh,” he said. “We fought a battle — Fred and I (entered the Legislature) in '02 and fought for years together, but the fight has picked up even more and we need a general now. We've got the army in place, but we need a general to lead us, and I think this is the day we start that down that path.”

McCrory's first message was a call for less government regulation on businesses, saying success in the private sector will bring the state and the country out of the recession.

He also addressed Perdue's push for greater education funding by saying he wants to “change the culture” of education.

McCrory also touted the need for merit-based pay increases for the best teachers.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, a Democrat who also plans to run for governor, issued a statement Tuesday blasting McCrory's stance on education and the economy.

“It is a destructive agenda that embraces a backwards-facing vision that cuts education funding, slashes teaching jobs and hurts our ability to recruit new business,” he said. “His vision is aligned with the Republican leadership that has driven us to the 49th state in the nation in per-pupil spending.”

McCrory shot back at Democrats by saying the party is ready to continue the policies set forth by Perdue and her predecessor, former Gov. Mike Easley, which have led to a “broken government” that is a source of “embarrassment” for the state.

”Let me warn you right now that the old bosses of North Carolina are all gathering right now, and they're going to pull in someone who's been very tied in to the Easley-Perdue administrations for the past 10 years — the same policies and the same culture of corruption that we've had far too long in North Carolina,” McCrory said. “And regardless of who they pick, we've got to defeat that culture and we've got to rebuild the economy of North Carolina.”

Henderson County GOP Chairman Mike Scruggs said he was pleased with the local response to the rally.

“Good turnout, and from a wide variety of Republicans, really,” he said. “I think (McCrory's) message resonates, and people see clearly that we've got a real good shot of taking the governor's position once more, so people were willing to turn out and hear him.”

<p>Western North Carolina's Republican leadership came out in full force Wednesday to show their support for Pat McCrory in his bid to become the next governor.</p><p>More than 150 people — from state legislators to county commissioners to tea party leaders — packed The Cedars in downtown Hendersonville where the former Charlotte mayor held a rally one day after formally announcing his candidacy in Greensboro.</p><p>“This is just incredible,” McCrory said of the large crowd. “You've touched my heart,”</p><p>The event took place one week after Gov. Beverly Perdue — a Democrat who narrowly defeated McCrory in 2008 — shook up the gubernatorial race by announcing that she wasn't running again.</p><p>But while McCrory called that development “one piece of good news,” he said the Democratic Party will find another candidate to try to carry on the “power elite and good-old-boy/good-old-girl system that's been controlling this state far too long.”</p><p>State Sen. Tom Apodaca of Hendersonville and former Sen. Fred Smith — who ran against McCrory in the 2008 Republican primary — pledged their support for McCrory. Apodaca called McCrory's arrival “a great day for the state of North Carolina.”</p><p>“I'm going to tell you what: We need help in Raleigh,” he said. “We fought a battle — Fred and I (entered the Legislature) in '02 and fought for years together, but the fight has picked up even more and we need a general now. We've got the army in place, but we need a general to lead us, and I think this is the day we start that down that path.”</p><p>McCrory's first message was a call for less government regulation on businesses, saying success in the private sector will bring the state and the country out of the recession.</p><p>He also addressed Perdue's push for greater education funding by saying he wants to “change the culture” of education.</p><p>“That doesn't mean pouring money into a broken system,” he added, “it means fixing the system.”</p><p>McCrory also touted the need for merit-based pay increases for the best teachers.</p><p>Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, a Democrat who also plans to run for governor, issued a statement Tuesday blasting McCrory's stance on education and the economy.</p><p>“It is a destructive agenda that embraces a backwards-facing vision that cuts education funding, slashes teaching jobs and hurts our ability to recruit new business,” he said. “His vision is aligned with the Republican leadership that has driven us to the 49th state in the nation in per-pupil spending.”</p><p>McCrory shot back at Democrats by saying the party is ready to continue the policies set forth by Perdue and her predecessor, former Gov. Mike Easley, which have led to a “broken government” that is a source of “embarrassment” for the state.</p><p>”Let me warn you right now that the old bosses of North Carolina are all gathering right now, and they're going to pull in someone who's been very tied in to the Easley-Perdue administrations for the past 10 years — the same policies and the same culture of corruption that we've had far too long in North Carolina,” McCrory said. “And regardless of who they pick, we've got to defeat that culture and we've got to rebuild the economy of North Carolina.”</p><p>Henderson County GOP Chairman Mike Scruggs said he was pleased with the local response to the rally.</p><p>“Good turnout, and from a wide variety of Republicans, really,” he said. “I think (McCrory's) message resonates, and people see clearly that we've got a real good shot of taking the governor's position once more, so people were willing to turn out and hear him.”</p><p>Reach Glancy at 828-694-7860 or gary.glancy@blueridgenow.com.</p>